Furnace-door-operating mechanism



C. l. PILLIQD. FURNACE DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION HLED AFR-21h 1920.

PatentedSept. 27, 1921.

UNITED sTAr srATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES J. PILLIOD, 0E TOLEDO, onto, essronon 'ro DANIEL SEARLES, TRUSTEE,

or TOLEDO, OHIO.

FURNACEDOGB OPERATII\T G MECHANISM. 7

7 '0 aZZ wZZOm it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES J. PILLIOD,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have made an invention iippertain ing to Furnace-'Door-Operating Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to mechanisms for mechanically opening and, closing the tire doors of furnaces, and. more particularly to those adapted for use in connection with the fire doors of locomotives.

The object of the invention is the provision of a simple and eflicient mechanism of the class described, which is capable of easy and rapid operation to open or close the connected doors, and is strong, durable and in expensive in construction, whereby to enhance the practicability and commercial value of such mechanisms.

' A further object ofthe invention is ih provision of a door operating mechanism of the class described which effects a posh tive stopping of the opening movement of the doors when opened a predetermined ex.- tent, and which is also provided with means for forcing the doors open any desired extent and locking them in such position.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereofis illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is a front elevation of a furnace door mechanism embodyingthe invention with the connected doors in closed position, and Fig. 2 is a similar fragmentary elevation thereof with the doors in full open position. y

Referring to the drawings, '1 designates a furnace door-frame, having afire-door open ing 2 therein and a vertical guide 3 at each side thereof in which a pair of doors 4 are mounted one above the other for'opposed vertical movementsto open and close the opening.

Each door t has a short link 5 suspended froma stud 6 projecting pivotally from the ably inclining at their Specification of Le'ttersEatent. P t te t 2 7, 1921 Application filed April as, 1920.

Serial No. 376,524.

outer sidethereof, and the lower end of the link is pivoted to the free or swinging end of a lever arm 7, which extends beyond one side edge of the door and is fulcrumed to a stud 8 on the frame 1 with the levers preferfree ends toward each other when the doors are in closed position, as shown inFig. 1.

A lever 9 is fulcrumed on a stud 10, projecting from the frame 1 intermediate the rear or pivoted end portions of the levers 7 for rocking movements in the planes of said levers, and, when the doorsare in closed position, hasits upper arm a extending rearwardly on an incline from its fulcrum and connected between its ends to the upper lever 7 by a forwardly inclined link 11, the point of connection of the link with the lever? being a short distance in advance of its fulcrum. The other arm Z) of the lever 9 extends downward and forward from its fulcrum and is connected to the lower lever 7 a short distance in advance of its fulcrum by a rearwardly and downwardly extending link 12. It is evident that the links 11 and 12 cooperate with the lever 9 to form toggle connections between the lever fulcrum 10 and the upper and lower levers 7 so that a rocking; of the lever 9 in different directicns will impart opposed opening and closing; movements to the doors. The arm a of the lever 9 extends'beyond its pivotal cons nection with the link 1.1 to provide a manually operable control arm, and this arm is provided with a handle 13.

The doors 4 and operating mechanism may be locked in open position, or in any desired partially open position, by a lever 14!, which is fulcrumed to the frame 1 at 15 and has its short arm movable into end thrust locking contact with the lower end of a link 11 when in elevated or toqgle straightened position to hold it in such position. This lever has 'camming co-action with the link end to effect a straightening; of the toggle links .to any desired extent and to hold them in such position upon a lowering of the outer end of the lever 1%. A set screw 16 is carried by the lug" portion of the lever 14: and may be turned into coaction with the fulcrum stud of the lever to hold the lever position of adjustment.

In operating the mechanism automatically by fluid pressure the lever 9 may be pivoted to a connecting rod 17 at a point belowits' in any nection with the link 12, as shown at 18, so that a rearward movement of the connecting members 17 will rock the lever 9 from its der 19, to operate the piston in one direction or the other, is controlled by the movement of a lever arm 20 connected to the control valve, and this lever is in turn connected to a foot pedal 21 through a link 22, lever 23 and link 24:, or in any other suitable manner. As the specific form of the control means employed forms the subject matter of an application filed June 5, 1920, Serial No. 386,8 l9, it will not be specifically shown and described herein. So far as the present invention is concerned any suitable fluid operated means may be employed.

When it is desired to open the doors 4:, the operator may manually open the same by throwing the upper or handle end of the lever 9 to the right, or the same may be effeeed by the fluid operated means by depressing the foot lever 21, which moves the control valve into position to admit fluid pressure into the cylinder at the inner end of the piston and to permit an exhaust from the opposite end thereof so that the piston is forced inwardly, or to the left, to impart the requisite door opening movement to the lever 9. Upon a release of the foot lever 21 the control parts are returned to normal or at-rest position by a spring-or other suitable means (not shown), thereby admitting fluid to the outer end of the cylinder and permitting exhaust from the inner end thereof so as to force the piston operated link 17 outward, or to the right, to return the mecha nism and doors to closed position. The open ing movement of the doors is limited by the throw of the toggle means upon a straightening of the same, and the center pivotal joint of each toggle connection is prevented from passing center by the coaction of a shoulder 25 on the lever 9 with a shoulder 26 on the frame 1. The limits of movement of the doors in both directions are preferably cushioned by the action of the fluid control means in any suitable manner. It is evident that the door operating mechanism may be moved to open the doors to any desired extent by a downward movement of the lever 14, which acts against the upper set of toggles members, and the mechanism is then held in adjusted position by a tightening of the set-screw 16.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what toggle link connection between each arm of the operating lever and the adjacent door lever whereby a rocking of the operating lever in one direction will impart door opening movements to the door levers, and vice versa, and operating means connected to the operating lever.

2. In a mechanism of the class described a frame having an opening therein, a pair of doors mounted for opposed sliding movements in the frame to open and close its opening, a pair of levers, one connected to each door and fulcrumed to the frame for rocking movements in a common plane, a double toggle connection carried by the frame and connecting said levers, said connection being operable to impart opposed rocking movements to the levers to open and close the doors, and a member for coacting with said toggle means to lock it in any position of door opening movement.

3. In a mechanism of the class described, a frame having a door opening, a pair of doors mounted in the frame for opposed sliding movements to open andclose said 0 Jening, levers fulcrumed to the frame and connected to the doors in spaced relation transversely of the levers, a double toggle link connection pivoted to the frame between and connecting the levers, said means being operable by a straightening or breaking of the toggles to impart opposed opening and closing movements to the doors, and a lever member for adjustably coacting with the toggle means to retain it in any position of door opening movement thereof.

1. In a mechanism of the class described, a pair of oppositely movable sliding doors, a pair of levers fulcrumed at a side of the path of movement of the doors and each hav ing its free end connected to one of the doors, an operating lever fulcrumed between the door levers and having an arm extended to provide a manual control, and links connecting the operating lever at opposite sides of its fulcrum to respective door levers whereby a rocking of the operating lever will impart opposed door opening and closing movements to the door levers.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES J. PILLIOD. 

